From campus journalist to Mrs. Globe Philippines, Anne Acuña has certainly come a long way. An alumna of the University of Santo Tomas and marketing director of De La Salle University’s Laguna Campus, Acuña is taking her wit, charm and natural beauty to China to represent the Philippines in the Mrs. Globe beauty contest, the most prestigious of its kind for women who are married or are parents.
Acuña’s endearing ways — how her eyes light up as she passionately talks about three-year-old daughter Aoife, her many advocacies, the honor that comes with representing the country and her hopes and dreams for it—makes one realize exactly why she epitomizes being a woman of substance.
Her journey in the world of beauty contests began when she was encouraged last year by a friend to participate in the search for Mrs. Philippines Globe.
Nervous newbie
“I had no idea what it meant and what it took to join a beauty pageant of this caliber,” Acuña says. “I have full-time work that doesn’t require me to wear heels or makeup everyday, I have a three-year-old hyperactive baby girl that I always have to run after and my daily outfit almost always includes a pair of jeans and sneakers.”
Acuña recalls arriving at the Mrs. Philippines Globe screening and how nervous she was especially after seeing the other women in the room.
“My insecurities started kicking in,” Acuña recalls. “I wasn’t in top shape and they all looked so thin and fit.”
But Acuña was set on her goal—that is to achieve even more in life, knowing very well the importance of having a sense of worth as a person as an example to her adorable and equally charming daughter.
“So I prepared,” Acuña said. “I ran, I swam, I lifted weights, and I watched what I ate, which is particularly difficult because love food, especially street food. But I knew my goal and when I told my family and friends the news that I got in as a candidate, they were all excited for me and that gave me even more motivation to persevere.”
And it is this same perseverance that eventually led to Acuña winning last year. On top of that, she also won The Most Beautiful Face and Darling of the Press awards.
Beautiful inside and out
Though this beauty contest newbie has achieved so much in such a short span of time, nothing about her attitude changed. She’d still rather be wearing jeans, shirt, and sneakers on casual days. Talk to her and you’d think you’ve known each other for a long time because of her friendly demeanor and genuine interest in people.
And perhaps more important, Acuña doesn’t let the title of being a beauty queen get to her head. She is still very unassuming to the point that Mrs. Philippines Globe director Carla Cabrera-Quimpo was quoted as saying, “She (Anne) does not know she is beautiful. She is spontaneous, fun, warm, witty, but she never tries hard.”
Acuña in return has nothing but good things to say about the organization behind Mrs. Philippines Globe, the premiere beauty pageant for married women and single mothers in the Philippines.
“The experience is a real eye-opener for me,” Acuña says. “I’m happy with the simple life and doing my small part in advocacies I support especially when it comes to the environment. But through Mrs. Philippines Globe, I realized there are more ways I can contribute. With this platform I’m given, I am able to reach out to more people and inspire them as well to embrace the idea of self-reinvention. The organization has been very helpful to me since day one and that, along with the support of my loved ones, has really been very empowering.”
Founded in 1996, Mrs. Globe raises funds for Women in Need, a charity present in over 70 countries around the world. This year’s Mrs. Globe is being held in Shenzen, China, starting Nov. 22. The grand coronation is on Dec. 1.